Audubon County Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Audubon Co., Iowa) 1885-1894, 1887-03-17
THE RAlNSBARGER CASE.
Sentence Imprisonment for Life at
Hard Labor.
End OF Noted Criminal Trial--Some-
thing About the Isainsbargers ana
History OF the Crime.

thing About the Isainsbargers ana
a History or the Crime.
MARsHALLTowN, March t1.--At six
o'clock yesterday morning the Frank
Rainsbarger jury, after being out "a hours
with but one meal, found the defendant
guilty and fixed the punishment at inn
prisonment in the penitentiary for life.
On the start the balloting stood 10 to 2 for
conviction, 3 being the largest vote for
acquittal at any time. The defendant
was Immediately hurried to the court
room, showing his first nervousness He
received the verdict, however, with COM
posure. A disagreement was popularity
expected. Nate Rainsbarger, convicted
year ago of participating in the same
crime. was returned here from the peni-
Tertiary, the Supreme court having re-
versed his case on a technically.
Judge Miracle formally sentenced Frank
to life imprisonment at hard labor and
his nephew Joe Rainsbarger was also
sentenced to pay a fine of $3.50 for shoot
ing cattle. The latter will take it out in
jail.
For central Iowa particularly the
Rainsbarger cases have an intense inter-
est. The "Rainsbarger country" So
| called, is strip of rough and partly tim
bered land lying along the Iowa river, be-
ginning about Is miles northwest of
Marshalltown and reaching nearly to
Ackley and Iowa Falls on the north. For
25 years it has been infested with thieves
and desperadoes to whom the Rains
bargers five brothers-Frank, Nate, Fins,
Mans and William) held relation like
that of Jesse and Frank James to their
gang-at least in popular estimation.
There were stealings, outr ages, mystcr-
ious disappearances and murders, but
such reign of terror existed among
residents that until recently nothing
was attempted except Intellectual or
ganization for self protection. The
law was powerless. The communi-
ties of Steamboat Rock, Abbott and
Eldora were the centers of disturbances.
In 1870, Bob Fiskin, depot agent at
Steamboat Rock, who was known to have
81 200 on his person, disappeared, and
no trace of him has ever been found by
his relatives who have searched diligently.
His disappearance was followed few
years since by that of George Boyer, an
Abbott creamery man, who had just
drawn 81 900 pension money. A few
weeks previous to the trial Just closed.
letter purporting to have been written by
him in California, and demanding his
back pension money. was received by the
pension agent at Des Moines, but it Is
alleged that it was forgery, perpetrated
for effect upon the forthcoming trial. On
the evening of November IS, 1884, Enoch
Johnson, father of Mrs. Frank (Nettie)
Rainsbarger, who had been charged with
counterfeiting, bailed out by Frank and
Nate and living with them, was murder
ed on the road from Clifford to Abbott.
His life was insured in favor on Nettie
and the boys. Nettie became convinced
that Frank and Nate murdered him to
prevent both his "peaching" and jump.
ing bail, and also to secure his insurance
money, and in January, 1885, charged
them with the crime. The
law and order element rallied around
her and the boys were held to the trial.
Things were now in an uproar. In ad-
diton to her testimony at the examina-
ton on February 3, 1885, she wrote
Frank (then in Jail with Nate at Mar
shalltown for safe keeping) letter which
was published and in which she accused
the boys of the crime. iDtimating also
other things in which the boys had been
engaged. On April 10, Henry Johns, a
wealthy brother-in-law and alleged back
er of the boys, was shot while driving
from Abbott to his farm, afterward dying
of his wounds. On June IA, Coroner
now senator) Underwood and DR.. Rite
nour, while driving from Johns residence
where they had been attending the
wounded. man, were ambushed and shot
at, their carriage being riddled by bullets,
but neither were hurt. Fin. Manns and
Williams, with Ed. Johns, were supposed
to have been the attacking parties, and
Fin and Mans were arrested and placed
in the Eldora jail That night the Jail
was broken into by mob and Fin
and Mans, after helpless resistance,
were shot down. AS illustrating the fierce
courage of the boys, it could be added
that the next day following this fearful
tragedy William Rainsberger and Ed.
Johns, the two others accused of the
Underwood shooting, rode boldly into
Eldora and gave bail for their appearance.
Now it is said that there are grave doubts
whether any of the four were guilty of
the charge. DR.. Ritenour, soon after,
moved by the applications of his family.
moved from the county, but as rule
those actively engaged in forcing the
Rainsbargers to the wall held out bravely
against all sorts of threats. Threatening
letters were sent everyone supposed to be
in sympathy with the prosecution of
Frank and Nate for Johnson's murder,
and acts of intimidation and outrage were
Of daily occurrence, and were of course
promptly laid to 1.-The gang" The boys
demanded separate trials and Mates case
came first before Judge Henderson, at
'Marshalltown, on change of venue, Jan.
%, 1885, bringing with it host of armed
and suspicious partisans of both sides. BY
strong circumstantial evidence the States
counsel, ii. l.. Huff, of Eldora, followed
the route taken by the boys that night
from their home to Cleves, and thence
through Steamboat Rock and Eldora to
the scene Of the murder, the boys having
en- route changed teams for the fast
drivers Of VIM. Rainsbarger. The evil
dence showed johnson to have been
killed by some blunt instrument, the
body placed on his horse. taken a short
distance and then dragged back to give
| the appearance OF a runaway and death
| by kicking and dragging. His buggy
was uiOhch, Sflucutil ny uausa' w oiu III
this impression. Nettie's evidence, the
sensation of the trial, showed that there
was blood on the boys clothes next
morning and that Frank had taken pair
| of metal knuclles with him. The theory
of the defendants attorneys (Hon S. NJ,
now Judge Weaver of Iowa Falls; G. +.
Albrook, of Eldora and Senator Sutton,
| of this city, was that Johnson's horse
from II to 20 years old was subject to
| fits, and that in one of his fits he killed
johnson. An alibi was also established
by evidence which the State impeached.
| After three weeks trial and the exami.
nation of nearly 100 witnesses, verdict
of guilty was rendered, and Nate was
sentenced for life. A few days ago, while
Franks case was being tried, the Supreme
court reversed Mates case on an imma-
terial portion of Nettie's testimony, held
to be prejudicial. Franks trial began
over two weeks ago, the State making a
stronger case than against Nate, with the
exception, of course, of Nettie's testimony
which could not be used against her hus-
band. Defense also improved their case
| by additional alibi testimony produced
| for the first time, but which was prompt
| ly impeached Brown 81 Carney, of this